At first glance the bladder, kidneys and liver may appear unrelated, but in fact they are united in the very important function of removing most toxins and waste products from your body, in addition to their other functions. Many different chemicals comprise what we eat and drink, and our bodies produce more on their own. The liver works hard to render these chemicals harmless or less harmful than they may otherwise be by changing their form and perhaps coupling them to another chemical for excretion. The kidneys constantly filter your blood – in fact your entire blood volume normally passes through your kidneys many times each day. As the blood passes through waste materials are removed for excretion into the urine, which is then stored in the urinary bladder until it is voided. When something goes wrong with one of these critical organs the consequences can be fatal. Seeing a specialist is of paramount importance. A specialist in kidney disorders is called a nephrologist; a specialist in the urinary bladder and the urinary system a urologist, and a liver specialist is a gastroenterologist, perhaps with a subspecialty in hepatology, the study of the liver. All of these specialists are available at Johns Hopkins. Johns Hopkins Nephrology
410-955-0670 Johns Hopkins Gastroenterology
410-955-4166 Johns Hopkins Urology
410-955-0351 | 
